As millions of white-collar workers in American cities continue to work from home three years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, revenue generated by mass transit ridership remains far below pre-pandemic levels, posing a dire threat to regional economies and resulting in more traffic and pollution.
“It's not a secret that with the switchover of the House of Representatives, the federal government is less responsive to appeals for mass transit,” Janno Lieber, CEO of the MTA, told Yahoo News. “We have gone to the [state] Legislature and said ... COVID ain't over for mass transit. The fiscal cliff is the deficit caused by the fall-off in ridership.”
In Ditch's view, transit systems, like many public agencies, overpay their workers thanks to collective bargaining agreements with public sector unions that include generous retirement benefits and health insurance policies. In 2021,— Atlanta, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.
“If you’re not going to do cost reform, don’t give them a new revenue stream. If you give them the payroll tax this year, they’re going to come back and ask for more.” Gelinas said. “It’s very sound to subsidize transit. Drivers should pay to subsidize transit because it keeps cars off the road, so it helps them.”
Another consequence of decreased ridership has been that transit systems have become magnets for crime, drug use and the homeless."Since January, 22 people have died on Metro buses and trains, mostly from suspected overdoses — more people than all of 2022,"Getting those issues under control is key to luring back riders, Marc Joffe, a state policy analyst at the Cato Institute, told Yahoo News.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Leaving American Idol is the new winning American IdolDo aspiring singers still need American Idol, or does American Idol need aspiring singers?
Read more »
‘Not if, but when’: Mass shootings change what it means to be a mayor in AmericaAcross the United States, city leaders enter office with the knowledge that their towns — no matter how quiet — may at any time become the next scene of unspeakable violence
Read more »
Superman-themed exhibit explores truth, justice and American painsIn David Alcantar's 'Superman Project,' on display at the McNay and Mercury Project, the Man of Steel has to deal with everyday frustrations.
Read more »
Ohio State Wexner Medical Center holds mass casualty incident trainingSeveral medics throughout Central Ohio got a crash course on how to respond when tragedy strikes.The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center gave real-work
Read more »
Lawyers meet with jailed American reporter in Moscow prisonLawyers representing an American reporter arrested in Russia on spying charges met with him in a Moscow prison on Tuesday for the first time since his detention last week and said “his health is good,” according to his employer, The Wall Street Journal.
Read more »
As statewide network gets overloaded with body cam data, Mass. DAs want better techThe proliferation of body cam footage in Massachusetts has revealed that the network district attorneys offices rely on may need an upgrade. Accessing footage in one office has led to another office losing access to email, one DA said.
Read more »